Word Count → 539 :: Out of Character text.
The moment the bird lost interest in him the feeling seemed to become mutual, as Sophie was able to take her eyes off him and study her other companion with interest. The woman still seemed unable to see her, as even when she came toward them her gaze didn't quite focus on Sophie or the bird; and the young girl found herself momentarily confused, and curious, as she shooed the bird away and then reached down as if to pet Sophie. The girl froze under the touch, the little hairs on her ruff standing on end while she waited--for what, she wasn't entirely certain, as this wasn't Daire and the woman hadn't shown any hostile tendencies to her. Still, she was tense until the hand slid a bit down her back and the woman came to sit beside her, and then Sophie realized what should have been apparent in the first place.
"Nice'o'meet'oo." She said, so quickly that it was all one word, and then shuffled around so that she could see Hotaru's face better. She hesitated, wondering if she should just blurt out her question the way Boothe would, or if she should quietly try to figure it out on her own. In the end, she tried a little bit of both. "Er, um...Muss Ho-tar-u? Are youms eyes not working?" Her voice was hesitant, as that sort of thing seemed like something you'd be sensitive about and she had the odd feeling that she shouldn't say anything, but she'd never met a wolf who couldn't see before, and it seemed odd that Miss Hotaru couldn't. At least she hadn't asked the way Boothe would have, which probably would have earned her a spanking and lost her a potential friend.
Sophie turned her gaze doubtfully toward the tree branches where the bird rested, not entirely sure that "sweet heart" matched his description, but the older woman knew better than she did, so she didn't question it, instead nodding and then saying hesitantly, " 'F you say so..." Her blue gaze fell then to Hotaru's lap, where strange and wondrous things were being pulled out and odd things were happening. She blinked curiously, hesitantly creeping forward to nudge the edge of the cloth curiously. Something in there stank, but in a good way; it made her want to chew on it. It wasn't hers, though, so she backed up a bit and then blinked as she remembered she'd been talking to someone. "Oh! Sophie lives here! Not here here," She elaborated, "But over there here." And gestured with a little nod of her head toward the path of destruction--a la Sophie--which would lead her home.
When she turned back, it was to see new things happening, and she bounced a little closer, staring with wide eyes at the knife and wood in Hotaru's hands. "Ooh, cool!" She barely dared to breath the words, lest she break the older female's concentration and the scary knife accidentally cut her, but Sophie was absolutely spell-bound. She'd seen knives used before, when Leon fought Daire and when Daire brought them out to threaten them before they'd ever met Leon, but she'd never known they could do other things!
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